Contributed by: HeinHein(others by this writer | submit your own)Published on July 26th 2002After releasing an EP "Scenic Overlook" in 2001 on Not Bad Records, this is the full-length debut of this Denver, CO band for Negative Progression.
Starting off the album with a scratchy 7" alike piano intro, the first song immediately indicates what this band is about: Hard bursts in both vocal.

After releasing an EP "Scenic Overlook" in 2001 on Not Bad Records, this is the full-length debut of this Denver, CO band for Negative Progression.

Starting off the album with a scratchy 7" alike piano intro, the first song immediately indicates what this band is about: Hard bursts in both vocals and guitars, alternating with laidback melodic punkrock tunes or even some emotive parts. Kinda like the formula bands like Thursday and Thrice are known for I guess. In fact there's also that same tactic of 2 vocalists; one guy screaming and screeching his heart out anxiously (sometimes, like in "Hapworth", it even seems like the recordings continued while he was taking a pee on some toilet and sang from there), while the other guy is trying to get the melodies right. Although I have to say that I didn't think the melodic guy was sounding very steady in some songs ("A Call To Arms") where I was glad to hear the sreaming guy again.

The over-all sound of the album is not as sophisticated as Thrice's and is a bit more inviting to jump up and down on at times, but it has that same succession of intense heavier parts with held-back tension-building momentums. The more basic punkrock approach is documented with a cover of Pinhead Gunpowder's song "Keeping Warm In The Nighttime" (from their 1994 album Jump Salty). A song like "Hapworth" could have been on a Jawbreaker album, while "The Sum Of All Parts" is showing Good Riddance resemblance in the first part of the song. Closing song and title track "Awaywithwords" is geared up with some string-arrangement that add a strange mood to the song. It's really a collection of styles that are blended together to result in a pretty powerful, sometimes endearing but most of all an intense sound topped with thoughtful poetic lyrics. Pick this one up if you like it hard yet melodic and catchy.

Highlights for me were songs "At A Glance", "Awaywithwords" and especially "Now I Have the Conch".

Please login or register to post comments.What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?

Share your opinion by posting comments on the stories that interest you

Rate music and bands and help shape the weekly top ten

Let Punknews.org use your ratings to help you find bands and albums you might like

Customize features on the site to get the news the way you want.

Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon
sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Anonymous (August 27, 2005)

THis band is better than thrice. It's good to hear a band you know won't get shitty as they progress. Also check Out , The Facet, Pariah Caste, Mustangs & Madras and First Bite

Anonymous (August 1, 2002)

Thrice only has one singer who does both. As do most of the bands you THINK have two singers. Its just one singer pulling double duty, sometimes live another member of the band will take a screaming part.

Hmm, I never said this band sounded a lot like Thrice, just saying they use the same formula of 2 singers: one screaming, the other singing. In fact, I said that this was not as sophisticated. And yes, ... Thrice is much better.

I dont see how they could be compared to thrice. Bands like contender and that type of posthardcore music have been around way before thrice ever put their quasi-metal riffs on it.

wyzo

Anonymous (July 27, 2002)

Damn, can't anyone do a review without comparing them to Thrice... First off, Contender does not sound like Thrice... Second off, this review of the cd is terrible... what's with the whole "sounds like he's singing while taking pee" That's quite possibly the stupidest thing I've ever read in a review... Nonetheless, this is an excellent cd, the lyrics are incredibly well written and deep. Musically it is diverse enough throughout the whole album to not get boring... Check it out if you have the chance and don't read this review...

Anonymous (July 27, 2002)

Contender is a great band but your review suck! Thrice is better.

Anonymous (July 27, 2002)

what the fuck does the matter?

Anonymous (July 27, 2002)

Wait, did they seriously put a cover song on this album? And its a full length? No no, not a good thing, NEVER a good thing.